Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > Reading Recommendations > Book Clubs

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 03-20-2013, 09:22 AM   #1
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
March 2013 Discussion: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea(s) by Jules Verne (spoilers)

It's time to discuss the March 2013 MobileRead Book Club selection, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea(s) by Jules Verne. What did you think?
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 09:29 AM   #2
caleb72
Indie Advocate
caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.caleb72 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
caleb72's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,863
Karma: 18794463
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Device: Kindle
I think I'm confused. The title says this is a discussion of Persuasion.
caleb72 is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 03-20-2013, 10:18 AM   #3
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
Quote:
Originally Posted by caleb72 View Post
I think I'm confused. The title says this is a discussion of Persuasion.
I think I must be your twin Caleb72 as I also am confused about the difference in titles for this discussion.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 10:32 AM   #4
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
Quote:
Originally Posted by caleb72 View Post
I think I'm confused. The title says this is a discussion of Persuasion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70 View Post
I think I must be your twin Caleb72 as I also am confused about the difference in titles for this discussion.
Verne/Austin what's the difference? Can't you guys be persuaded to shut up and talk about what I tell you?

Fixed now. Thanks for the catch, crich.
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 10:34 AM   #5
Synamon
Lunatic
Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Synamon ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Synamon's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,691
Karma: 4386372
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Land of the Loonie
Device: Kindle Paperwhite and Keyboard, Kobo Aura, iPad mini, iPod Touch
What's the problem? Surely someone has written a spoof of Persuasion, set under the sea? No? They should.
Synamon is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 03-20-2013, 10:45 AM   #6
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
Any who...

Did anyone read a copy with the title "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas"? The title in French is, after all, Vingt mille lieues sous les mers. The decision by early translators of the book into English to call it Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea makes it sound as if the Nautilus was making dives 20,000 leagues deep under the ocean's surface; a clear impossibility.
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 10:57 AM   #7
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
Growing up I didn't really know what a league was so it never really had an effect on me. I've been reading the old 'under the sea' version I think though. I have heard that Verne even had to do some editing of his manuscript in his time because it was critical of (I think) Poland where Nemo was supposed to have hailed from and France was trying to improve their relations with the country of Poland at the time.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 11:20 AM   #8
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
That's true about editing out the politics. I believe his publisher insisted on it.
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 11:29 AM   #9
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe View Post
...The decision by early translators of the book into English to call it Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea makes it sound as if the Nautilus was making dives 20,000 leagues deep under the ocean's surface; a clear impossibility.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70 View Post
Growing up I didn't really know what a league was so it never really had an effect on me. I've been reading the old 'under the sea' version I think though....
Verne, of course, would have recognized the absurdity of traveling 70,000 miles straight down on a planet whose diameter was only 8,000 miles; but for those who grew up with no idea of what a "league" was and who had first heard the title of the book as a child, it didn't occur to most of us that he was speaking of the distance traveled by the Nautilus and its crew, and not the depth.

Making it, of course, a great choice for the Travel/Adventure category.
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 11:30 AM   #10
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe View Post
That's true about editing out the politics. I believe his publisher insisted on it.
Goes to show both how some things haven't changed since Verne's day (politics are still a hot potato) and the popularity of Verne as a writer in his own time. That they would have a worry that his writing could be widely enough read to have caused an incident I mean.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 12:31 PM   #11
issybird
o saeclum infacetum
issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.issybird ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
issybird's Avatar
 
Posts: 20,147
Karma: 222000000
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: New England
Device: H2O, Aura One, PW5
The book got a big meh from me. I think it was best read by an 11-year old boy, and one no later than mid-20th century at that. What was imaginative and even predictive when it was written is flat now, so what we're left with is less than Homeric lists of fish and no plot.

I ended it with the feeling, "I wuz robbed." All the time I slogged through it, I thought Verne was taking longer and longer to develop the Nemo story and was waiting for a big reveal. Oy! I've read since that Nemo's backstory was given in The Mysterious Island, but I'm not that interested that I'll put myself through another such. So between the lack of plot and the long tease, I think the book fails on a qualitative level.

Verne did have a way with words and the imagery was the best thing about the book. Most entertaining to me was not the battle with the octopus, but the discovery of the South Pole. Essentially Nemo beached the Nautilus, went for a stroll, and said "This must be the pole!" Shame Amundsen and Scott didn't know it was so easy. I was highly tickled by the notion of something somewhat larger than an atoll, that very handily just popped up right on the pole.

I'm not sorry I read it, but I'm glad I was able to read it in odd moments and that it didn't take up any serious reading time.
issybird is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 01:49 PM   #12
crich70
Grand Sorcerer
crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.crich70 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
crich70's Avatar
 
Posts: 11,306
Karma: 43993832
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Monroe Wisconsin
Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)
Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it Issybird. I think it isn't so much Verne's fault as the fault of readers today being more sophisticated than readers were at the time he wrote it. I mean back then much of what we take for granted was unknown or experimental technology.
crich70 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 02:50 PM   #13
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird View Post
...what we're left with is less than Homeric lists of fish and no plot....
Are you sure you didn't read Moby Dick instead?

Spoiler:
Moby Dick is the story of a young man who went fishing with some older guys. The narrator spends a good portion of the book describing various types of whales.
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 02:54 PM   #14
WT Sharpe
Bah, humbug!
WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.WT Sharpe ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
WT Sharpe's Avatar
 
Posts: 39,073
Karma: 157049943
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.
Personally I find it fascinating to see what he envisioned in an era when electricity was still a novelty and submarines were in the earliest experimental stage of their development.
WT Sharpe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-20-2013, 03:14 PM   #15
Hamlet53
Nameless Being
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird View Post
The book got a big meh from me. I think it was best read by an 11-year old boy, and one no later than mid-20th century at that. What was imaginative and even predictive when it was written is flat now, so what we're left with is less than Homeric lists of fish and no plot.

I ended it with the feeling, "I wuz robbed." All the time I slogged through it, I thought Verne was taking longer and longer to develop the Nemo story and was waiting for a big reveal. Oy! I've read since that Nemo's backstory was given in The Mysterious Island, but I'm not that interested that I'll put myself through another such. So between the lack of plot and the long tease, I think the book fails on a qualitative level.

Verne did have a way with words and the imagery was the best thing about the book. Most entertaining to me was not the battle with the octopus, but the discovery of the South Pole. Essentially Nemo beached the Nautilus, went for a stroll, and said "This must be the pole!" Shame Amundsen and Scott didn't know it was so easy. I was highly tickled by the notion of something somewhat larger than an atoll, that very handily just popped up right on the pole.

I'm not sorry I read it, but I'm glad I was able to read it in odd moments and that it didn't take up any serious reading time.
I actually started it, but after just a few pages it all came back to me from when I read it at about 12-13 years old and I lost interest in reading such an antiquated science fiction novel over.

Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe View Post
Are you sure you didn't read Moby Dick instead?

Spoiler:
Moby Dick is the story of a young man who went fishing with some older guys. The narrator spends a good portion of the book describing various types of whales.
Yes, a lot of time spent discussing whales. That, and as I recall, there is entire chapter devoted to the debate as to whether or not whales are mammals or fish, with Melville creating an elaborate argument for the wrong answer. Actually when Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea was nominated I thought about nominating Moby Dick in response.

Maybe next time a travel/adventure book will be selected?
  Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Science Fiction Verne, Jules: 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas. v2, 22 Feb 2008 HarryT Kindle Books 3 03-04-2017 09:04 AM
Action Verne, Jules: 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (Illustrated).v1. 14 Feb 2013 SBT Kindle Books 0 03-15-2013 12:39 PM
Action Verne, Jules: 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (Illustrated).v1. 07 Feb 2013 SBT ePub Books 1 03-07-2013 07:03 PM
Science Fiction Verne, Jules: 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. v1. 9 Aug 2009 Burliburd Other Books 5 08-10-2009 12:04 PM
Science Fiction Verne, Jules: 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas. v2, 22 Feb 2008 HarryT BBeB/LRF Books 3 02-22-2008 09:34 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:16 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.